Flash Fanfiction - Episode 6 - From Fire to Frost
by Reign Atkins
Summary: Caitlin is having trouble controlling her powers. Ronnie and Martin's lives are at stake after the separation procedure of Firestorm. Sutherland Labs has its unveiling of its new name. Barry is coming to terms with having a brother... who is dating Iris.
1. Chapter 1

"Who wants another pancake?" Barry asked the group that were gathered around in Astrid's kitchen for a Sunday morning breakfast. Astrid, Cisco, Caitlin and Ronnie all called out in unison, that they were still hungry.

Barry turned up the heat, cooked two more batches, served them up and set the table elegantly. He even gathered a fresh bouquet of flowers from the garden and placed it in a vase in the middle of the table. He did all this before the team could even blink.

"Have I ever told you how much I love your power, Barry?" Caitlin asked him, taking her seat in between Astrid and Ronnie at the table.

"The power is great and all…" Ronnie declared, "…but this house is astonishing. You have a room for just about everything… and that television in there for video games? I want your house, Astrid!"

Astrid smiled. But Cisco added in, "… That's what happens when your father is Robert Sutherland…" he paused for a moment, when he realized that the mention of Dr Sutherland was still a sensitive subject, even to himself. "…Truth is, I have been coming here since high school and this mansion still gets me excited. Astrid never liked inviting people here as a kid. It was like she was too embarrassed or something…"

"I wasn't embarrassed about my house, Cisco." Astrid chimed in as she took a bite of her beautifully cooked pancake, with whipped cream. "You knew my dad. He was like a father to you too. As much as I love him. It was embarrassing to have him as a dad at times. He was a famous scientist, and he was that awesome… sometimes I felt that people only wanted to know me because of him."

Cisco nodded, "I think you told me that once." He told her.  
"I did and I still remember what you said," Astrid replied, she then continued, imitating his tone, "I love you Astrid, you're my best friend, how could you ever think that?" she laughed at her imitation of him.  
"… And don't you forget it!" Cisco said smiling and pointing his fork at her.

Barry, Caitlin and Ronnie smiled at the two of them. Astrid and Cisco were clueless at their feelings for each other.

"Astrid," Barry broke the tension, "Oliver told me that he is coming to the STAR labs unveiling, tomorrow. Has he told you when he will be getting into town?"

"He sure did," Astrid replied. "He gets in tonight! But, changing the subject… Caitlin, you told me that you had big news to tell?"

Caitlin smiled and looked over at Ronnie, who smiled back. "Actually… Ronnie and I both have news. Before Ronnie went away to Smallville, we had plans to get married. Well… we have decided to continue on with those plans. We want to get married in a week."

Barry, Cisco and Astrid cheered.  
"Why so soon, Caitlin?" Astrid asked, "You always told me that you had dreams of the perfect wedding. One week isn't a whole lot of time to plan…"

"I know, Astrid." Caitlin replied, beaming. "But it seems in our life something is bound to happen that will prevent us from being happy. So I really don't care about how we get married, just as long as we do."

Astrid lent over and gave her friend a hug, Barry gave Ronnie a high five and Cisco stood up to hug Caitlin from behind her chair. "Ronnie, are you ok?" Barry asked him.

They all looked over at Ronnie who at this point was looking very dizzy and collapsed out of his chair and on to the floor, unconscious.

"Ronnie?" Caitlin gasped as she checked over her fiancé to assess the damage. He was still breathing. "We need to call Dr Stein!" she cried out as she continued to fuss over him, "Barry, we need to get him to Dr Stein's team at…"  
"I'm on it!" Barry interrupted, grabbing Ronnie and disappearing before their eyes.  
Cisco, who had tried to call Martin Stein was still on the phone. "Ok, Mrs Stein! We will send someone right away!" he said and ended the call. "Call Barry. Dr Stein just collapsed too." He told Astrid.

An hour later, Martin's wife Clarissa, Caitlin, Cisco, Astrid and Barry were gathered on the 25th floor, at Sutherland Labs, in the employee lounge concerned with Ronnie and Martin's wellbeing.

"I want to go see him." Clarissa said. "We need to wait until they call us in." Caitlin told her.  
She assisted the lady to sit down. Caitlin was also becoming anxious. Every time she felt anxious, sad or angry, her hands grew cold and everything she touched turned to ice.

Though it was as if this power was taking over her entire body, turning her into someone completely different. With an anger that consumed her.

Caitlin looked down at her hands. They were doing it now, so she rubbed her palms together and took a few deep breaths. It was enough to stop the ice from forming. She was still in control of herself, fortunately.

"Mrs Stein, Dr Snow. Martin and Ronnie are both awake for the moment. You can come see them now." One of the doctors from the team had entered the room to inform them of the news.

Barry, Astrid and Cisco waited in he waiting room. "Barry, so how are things with Eddie?" Cisco asked him.  
"Things are going great. I introduced him to dad a week ago and the two of them got along fine." Barry replied.

"But how are things with the two of you… and Iris?" Cisco asked the probing question. Astrid studied Barry's face. She was wearing her bracelet so she couldn't read his mind, but she could only imagine how Barry was truly feeling.

"Eddie and Iris are great… Better than great… Eddie and I are great… Iris and I are great…" Barry told them.

"Barry… you just put one too many 'greats' in to that sentence…" Astrid told him, "…Clearly everything isn't great… You love Iris. More than love… you worship the ground that she walks on. You just found out that her boyfriend is your brother. You're allowed to hate that. You're allowed to be annoyed!"

Barry nodded, "Ok I am annoyed. But I want to be happy for her. She really loves him."  
"Well… That's what makes you a great guy!" Cisco told him, "you will get the girl in the end. I can just see it."

"I hope Ronnie and Dr Stein are going to be ok." Astrid told her friends. Cisco put his arm around her shoulders supportively, just in time for Caitlin to reenter the room.

"You guys…" Caitlin spoke, her voice stammered a little. Astrid jumped up and hugged her friend. After the news Caitlin had just heard, she wasn't sure how she would be able to deal. She put her weight on to Astrid and wiped away a few tears.

"Caitlin. Is everything ok?" Barry asked her.  
Caitlin finally found the courage to stand on her own two feet again and told her friends, "Because of the whole Firestorm thing. Ronnie and Dr Martin…" she couldn't find the right words.

"Caitlin, come sit down." Cisco told her, assisting her to the chairs.  
Caitlin took a deep breath as her friends comforted her. Astrid sat beside Caitlin and waited for her friend to speak.

"You guys…" Caitlin began again, "Ronnie and Martin are dying."


	2. Chapter 2

"Dying?" Barry, Astrid and Cisco repeated in unison.  
"What do you mean?" Barry asked Caitlin.  
"I mean that when Ronnie and Martin first merged and created Firestorm, the essence that made them individuals was wiped. They need to continue to merge to survive." Caitlin explained as best as she could.

"Then why can't they continue to merge?" Astrid asked.  
"When they first merged," Cisco began, "it was due to the meteor shower and projects that were held at Luthor Corp. We would need to recreate the meteor shower and even if we could do that, the research was left back in Smallville and we have no way of getting it back, since we cut ties with Lionel Luthor."

"…Besides, even if we had the research and the meteor shower, we would still risk a very cataclysmic explosion that could wipe out all of Central City." Caitlin added.

Barry stared down at his feet and Astrid could not choose the right words to say to console her friend.  
"Caitlin, do you want to go back in there and talk to Ronnie?" Cisco asked her, "we will all come with you, if you like." Caitlin nodded and lead them to the room where Ronnie was laying in the bed in the bay beside Martin Stein.

"Hey, you guys." Ronnie said cheerfully as they entered the room. He seemed fine, despite the circumstance. Martin greeted them from his own bed. His wife was holding his hands in hers.

"So Dr Martin," Caitlin asked him, "Do you have any ideas on how we can make the two of you merge again?" she asked him, desperately.  
"Ah, Miss Snow. It is just as I was telling the team over there. We need to be optimistic. If there is something that we can do, I am sure we will figure it out. But I for one, do not wish to risk the lives of this town for the slim chance of being able to merge Ronald again." Dr Stein told her.

"But the pair of you could DIE! Surely we could ask CCPD to evacuate the city. Astrid! You have standing in this city. You could do something!" Caitlin pleaded with her friend.

Astrid looked at Dr Stein and then the team of scientists who were standing on the far side of the room. Their faces all held the same look of defeat. Astrid knew that evacuating the city for the slim chance of the plan, working was pointless. The mayor would never go with it and it would cause panic throughout the city.

She didn't have the heart to tell Caitlin that she couldn't do it. Her face fell. Cisco and Barry tried to comfort Caitlin as they knew by the look on Astrid's face, just what she was thinking.

"I can't believe you, Astrid!" Caitlin shouted. "I thought you were my friend!" Amidst her fit of anger, Caitlin flung her hand up and a large bolt of ice shot forth, past Astrid's head and smashed some beakers on the shelf behind her. It left the group speechless.

Caitlin's face had changed. Her coloring had gone pale. Upon realizing what she had done, Caitlin brought her hand to her face as she gasped. She turned on her heels and left. Barry went to race after her, but Cisco and Astrid gestured for him not to. "She needs to have a little time to herself." Cisco told him. So he stayed put.

Suddenly the machines by Ronnie and Martin's bedside began sounding, alerting them to the fact that Martin and Ronnie were both having seizures. Clarissa called to the doctors, who rushed over ushering Clarissa, Astrid, Barry and Cisco back out of the room and closed the door behind them.

Clarissa broke down into tears in the waiting area, so Astrid tried to comfort her. Cisco and Barry sat down on the seats, clearly unsure about what to do next.

Suddenly, Barry's phone began to ring. It was Iris and she needed to see him immediately. "I have to…" Barry said looking from Cisco to Astrid.

"Go, Barry. We have this here." Cisco told him.  
"We will try to contact Caitlin and let you know if we need your help." Astrid told him. Barry nodded and left in an instant. Clarissa who was still deeply distraught hadn't noticed his exit.

Barry entered Jitters to find Iris finishing her shift. She put her apron away and pulled out her laptop from her bag and invited Barry to sit with her at a table across from the entrance in the cafe. She opened her laptop and asked him to go over the article that she had typed up.

"This article is on The Flash?" Barry confirmed.  
"It sure is!" Iris said. "… Well the Streak… but I don't see why you insist on calling him the Flash."  
"Why are you showing me this, Iris?" Barry asked her.  
"Because when it comes to the impossible, who better to talk to, than you?" Iris was excited about her article. "I've been posting these articles on the web. People need to know about the Streak. They need to have a hero to believe in… To aspire to!"

"What does Eddie say about all of this?" Barry asked her.  
"He thinks the Streak is a coward, hiding behind a red mask. That the real heroes are people like my dad, him and the rest of CCPD. He told me to stop writing about him." Iris told him. She was in the process of uploading her blog on to the web as she spoke.

"I think you should listen to Eddie." Barry told her, "You will only make yourself a target if people think that you know the Flash."

"Barry… People are actually viewing my blogs. This will get me known as a journalist! I am getting the truth out there! People deserve to know what is going on!" Iris argued.

"I don't approve of it!" Barry told her. "Maybe you should look at writing about Sutherland Labs changeover to STAR Labs. Astrid is holding the grand reopening tomorrow. This will be the first time the public has been allowed to set foot inside since the fire a few weeks back. That seems like a safe enough topic."

"I'm not looking for safe! I'm looking for the truth! I don't need your approval, Barry! I thought you would be happy for me. Besides there is enough news on that changeover as it is. No one is reporting on the Streak. He is going unnoticed, and he deserves his credit." Iris was really angry now. She had just posted her article on the web, closed her laptop and had gathered all her things.

"Iris, don't go. Please!" Barry pleaded with her, "You and I haven't spoken, just you and I, in a while."

"Barry, I wanted to change that, but you can't even support me, I don't know why I even tried. All those years you told me something impossible happened to you mother, and I believed you. I supported you when you needed it. But now that I need your support, you just… You just can't do the same for me!" Iris left with Barry close at heel trying to reason with her.

Cisco put his phone back into his pocket. He was standing in the waiting area. He had been trying to call Caitlin but she had not been answering. The doctors had managed to help Ronnie and Martin back into a calm state, only they were both put into medically induced comas to prevent further complications from arising. Their situations were further deteriorating and Caitlin was unreachable.

Clarissa had gone back in to sit with Martin while Astrid sat beside Ronnie. She wanted to keep an eye on him for her friend's sake. Cisco reentered the room and sat by Astrid.

"No answer?" she asked him, referring to Caitlin.  
"No answer." Cisco replied. "It's just ironic, considering what Caitlin was saying about being in a rush to marry Ronnie."

Astrid nodded, "She believed that if she didn't do it fast, it wouldn't happen at all." This time Astrid tried to call Caitlin, but her friend still did not answer, so she left a message informing her of Ronnie's current situation.

Caitlin found a secluded alleyway, to try and calm herself down. She was sitting on the ground beside a large dumpster with her head between her knees. Unfortunately, she still hadn't calmed down. She was still this other person and the love of her life was in danger. How did this become her life?

"Hey, baby!" she heard the voice of a man approach her. She looked up to see a group of rough looking guys approaching her. There were five of them. She stood up slowly and eyed them suspiciously. "Is everything ok, beautiful? We can make you feel better." The same man told her. As they began to inch closer to her.

"Leave me alone," she warned them.  
They ignored her request and continued to inch closer. The man who had spoken told his friends to grab her. As they went to, she shot bolts of ice at their feet, with both of her hands, knocking them both to the ground.

"How did you do that?" The man yelled at her, pulling out a gun and aiming it at her. There were two men behind him and they were both holding weapons aimed at her as well.

A menacing smile spread across her face. It was evident that this other persona had taken over her body completely. She wasn't going to let anybody mess with her. "I warned you…" she said looking down devilish at the men that she had knocked down to the floor, "...to leave me alone..."


	3. Chapter 3

By lunch time, Barry had arrived at CCPD where he found Joe hard at work, he had brought him some Big Belly Burger to go. "What are you working on, Joe?" he asked him, as Joe hid a few folders from Barry's view.

"It's just some case, don't worry about it." Joe replied, he took the food that Barry offered him and then continued, "Bar, is everything ok?"

Barry knew that there was no point lying to Joe. He ensured that the door to Joe's office was shut so he wouldn't be overheard, before answering. "Dr Stein and Ronnie are in trouble." Barry said.

Joe put the burger, that he was about to take a bite from, back down on the desk. "What sort of trouble?"  
"They're dying… Unless we can come up with some kind of miracle."  
"A miracle?" Joe repeated, "are they both sick or…?"

"They are, in a way. We explained the firestorm concept with you earlier, do you remember?" Barry asked him.

"You did, but I really didn't get it," Joe said as he stood up, "you know I don't understand all that science stuff, Bar… but what I do know, is that you and your friends are heroes. You will do all that you can to help your friends and I will be here if you need me."

"What if it meant evacuating the city?" Barry asked, it was worth a shot.  
Joe's eyes gaped wide open. "Evacuat… No, Barry! Do you know what it would take for us to do that?" he could see that Barry was being serious. He let out a long sigh. "It would take a lot for us to be able to evacuate the city. But I suppose that if we had no other choice, and it was an extreme circumstance, we could try… But I am pleading with you to find another option. You're my kid! I know that you will at least try."

Barry agreed that Joe was right. Evacuating the city was not an option. But they needed to do something. He sat down and took a bite of his own burger and noticed one of the documents on the desk. Joe noticed it and tried to hide it away, but it was too late.

"Joe, what was that?" he asked him. Joe tried to lie, but he knew that Barry had seen it.  
"That document had my mother's name…" Barry added.

"Ok, Barry. Yes, it had her name. I have been looking into your mother's death. But I didn't want to tell you because I have only been coming up empty. I didn't want to keep your hopes up." Joe admitted.

Barry was ecstatic. "So they offered to reopen the case?"  
"No, they haven't, yet, which is why I am trying to chase up some leads. I need to find them something to go on." Joe told him.

"I suppose it's better than nothing. I just wish that you had told me sooner." Barry replied.  
"Was there something else bugging you?" Joe asked him, in an attempt to change the subject.  
"Just Iris and her art…"  
"... Article on the Flash, whom she is dead- set on calling him The Streak… Don't encourage her with this article! Only no good can come from out of it! The sooner she drops that phase, the better. Now, I need to get to work. I will see you later, Barry." Joe said as he ushered him to the door.

"Ok, I get the hint! I'll go!" Barry replied walking out the door.

"I brought you some supplies…" Astrid said waving a bag of Big Belly Burger in front of Cisco's face. He had been tinkering on some sort of gadget of Martin Stein's with a screwdriver, on the 97th floor. It was now roughly just after two-thirty in the afternoon.

"You are a life saver!" Cisco exclaimed, not taking his eyes off his work as he spoke, "I think the solution lies in this. Martin called it The splicer. It's a part of this frame thing here… This tool is responsible for everything. But it's been damaged. If we can minimize the impact from the meteor shower into this, we might be able to…" his voice trailed off. He swore as he received an electric shock.

"Have something to eat." Astrid told him, "I went looking for Caitlin, but I couldn't find her."

"You know Cait, she is probably just blowing off some steam," Cisco replied, adding on, "…and I mean that literally, you know because she is angry and she has a super cool ice power…"

Astrid didn't laugh. "This isn't like her, Cisco. It was like she just snapped… and it's not the first time that she has done this. It's like… it's like she isn't even Caitlin anymore. Caitlin wouldn't just walk out, while the love of her life is lying in a bed fighting for his life. She is stronger than that!"

"Oh, Astrid… That just goes to show just how much you really know about me…" Caitlin's voice broke in over their conversation. Cisco and Astrid both turned to see Caitlin standing by the doorway, but her hair color had grown pale white, her skin was almost colorless and her lips were as black as night.

"Caitlin," Astrid called out, stepping forward, "we were worried about you."  
Cisco took hold of Astrid's arm, "Astrid, that isn't Caitlin…" he said to her, almost in a whisper.

Caitlin, or whomever it was, smirked at the two of them, "How clever you are, Cisco. Yet you are also wrong. Oh, I am still Caitlin. But I am the Caitlin that has been clawing to get out… Call me… Killer Frost!"

"Oh Hell No!" Cisco snapped at her as he stepped forward, "I make the nicknames here." Caitlin shot a bolt of ice at him, which struck him in the leg, bringing him to the ground. Astrid immediately knelt down beside him to examine the damage. "What is wrong with you Caitlin!" she yelled at the girl who was supposed to be their friend.

"Considering Astrid can read minds and Cisco is a pocket genius, the two of you aren't all that bright. Otherwise, you would realize that the two of you are standing in the way of obtaining your own true happiness." Caitlin sneered at them. "I am just tired of having to be good girl Caitlin all the time. I want to have some fun!"

Astrid looked back down at Cisco's leg. Fortunately, it was only a superficial wound. She looked back to where Caitlin had been standing, but she had already left.

She slumped back down on the floor next to Cisco. "That was not Caitlin." She told him.  
"Nah, ya think?" he shot back sarcastically, his leg really hurt. "We need to call Barry. This is not good!"  
"Already on it!" Astrid said as she sent the emergency text to Barry. "How's your leg?" she asked him as she pressed 'send'.  
"It hurts! But my ego hurts more… She knows that nicknames are my thing!"

"I know, but we already established, that that wasn't Caitlin." Astrid reminded him.

"What wasn't Caitlin?" Barry asked as he entered the room, to find both Astrid and Cisco sitting on the floor. Astrid stood up and helped Cisco to his feet. He limped a little at the pain, but managed to stand upright. "Caitlin has gone all Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde… Or Miss Hyde… whatever you want to…" Cisco began.  
"She came in here and attacked Cisco, unprovoked." Astrid cut in. "She called herself Killer Frost." Cisco bit his lip. He was certainly not happy about that aspect.

Barry noted the looks on their faces. "Don't worry, you guys. We will get her back! How did you go working on that… that thing?"

Cisco walked back towards his desk which was cluttered with loose wires and parts. "That thing being the splicer… I have my theories, but we might need a little more time. The energy running through this baby is ridiculously high."

"Cisco received an electric shock." Astrid clarified.  
"Ouch!" Barry said out of sympathy.

"Yeah! One big ouch!" Cisco said, "But my theory is that if we can somehow minimize the impact of the meteor shower and add a few extra components into this thing, and I don't screw with the current wiring system too much they should be able to merge and separate on will and much more smoothly…"

"So how much time do you think we need?" Barry asked them.  
"This can't be rushed!" Cisco told him, "Were talking about one wrong wire and all of Central City will be wiped off the face of the map."

Astrid checked the time. "Ollie will be getting in soon. We did have plans on going out to dinner, but I'm going to cancel. With things with Caitlin, Ronnie and Dr Stein… a pre-reopening dinner celebration is probably the last thing I should be doing right now."

"Don't be silly," Barry told her, "You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow and with everything that's happening, going out to dinner with Oliver, is exactly what you need. Go, Cisco and I have got this… and say hi to Oliver for me." Astrid smiled and left Cisco and Barry to work.


	4. Chapter 4

Caitlin stepped into a bar, full of drunk bikers. She approached the bartender and ordered a drink. Clutching her drink in hand she eyed the patrons. They were all at least a foot taller than her.  
"Hey, missy! I think you're in the wrong place." A gruff looking man approached her and smiled down at her.

"No, I think I'm in the right place, and before you do, I'm warning you to not lay a hand on me. I'm simply here for the drinks." She told him sweetly.

The man laughed at her. "You? You're warning me?" his friends laughed with him, which made Caitlin finish her drink quickly. She placed her empty glass back down on the bar and spoke again. "Yes! I am warning you." She said again.

The man shoved her shoulder back. She shook her head softly and said "I did warn you." She raised her hands and shot ice projectiles throughout the bar, crippling most of the patrons, even some who were not with the man. The man who had tried to intimidate her had been shot backwards to the ground. He pulled out a gun and aimed it at her. Caitlin flung another cold blast at him and the gun was frozen stiff in his hand. He could not move his entire arm.

"I warned you…" she cooed at the man. She skipped her way out of the bar, in a childlike fashion and as she did, she continued to shoot ice bolts all around the bar, unaffected by the damage that she had caused.

Cisco stood frozen in his tracks. "Cisco? Cisco? Is everything ok?" Barry asked him.  
"I think I know where Caitlin is." Cisco said softly, trying to make sense of everything that he had just seen. "Where?" Barry asked.

"Don't ask me how I know. I think I just saw her leaving some biker bar on Northpoint…" Cisco told his friend. He realized by the end of the sentence that Barry had already left.

Barry did not need to look far, until he found Caitlin leaving the location that Cisco had mentioned. The sun was setting and she looked as if she was dressed for a night out. Black leather and very skimpy. He wanted to ask her about her drastic change in fashion, but he remembered what his friends had said about Caitlin being an entirely different person.

"Caitlin!" he called out to her. He was in his red suit, so he was a little annoyed when Caitlin called him by name.

"Barry… the dynamic duo sent you to come and save me… Didn't they?" Caitlin asked him sweetly.  
"Caitlin, what are you doing? It's not too late to come with me. Ronnie is in an induced coma and he needs you by his side." Barry told her.

This news threw her off guard, but it wasn't enough to win her over. "While the good girl Caitlin would be bawling right now, I'm actually quite relieved." She told him.

She stepped towards Barry slowly, until she was inches away from his face. "This could be good for us, Barry. You with your speed… me with my, newfound self… We could run this world, you and I."

Barry stared at her, wondering what she was getting at. "You, know Barry. When you run, it generates a lot of heat…" she whispered softly to him, "Right now, I am feeling… so cold!"

Before he could react, she kissed him, making him freeze on the spot. A wave of frost that ran from his mouth to his feet trapped him in place, giving her enough time to escape, before he could generate enough heat to free himself.

When he finally came to, she was long gone. "Cisco, I lost her." He communicated via his earpiece, "I'm on my way back.

"I can't believe you lost her. How did that happen?" Cisco asked Barry when he arrived, back to Sutherland Labs. "You're the fastest man alive but you couldn't catch her. What happened?"

Barry didn't want to admit the trickery that their friend had used on him. "She just outsmarted me, that's all. She knew that I was faster than her, so she froze me on the spot. Besides, how did you know where she was? That was more than just some intuitive coincidence."

"Barry…" Cisco said, unsure of himself. "…I saw where she was in my mind. I saw this image of her and of the chaos she had caused… All we need now is for CCPD to tell us about the frozen mess that she left in that bar and I will know that something is wrong with me."

"Wrong with you? Cisco. If you are seeing visions of crimes as they are happening, that will help us to stop the crime in this city. I can be there before the police arrive and arrest the criminals. How long has this been happening?" Barry questioned him, somewhat excited about the idea.

"Since the meteor shower. Every now and then I have been receiving visions of things that were happening or that ended up happening. But lately I've been getting them a lot more often. You're the first person I have told. I thought that I was going crazy. But I guess it's just a relief that I'm not." Cisco told him, relieved to have gotten his secret out in the open.

"I suppose we can always try to use it to find out where Caitlin is now." Barry told him. "Do you think that it would work if you touched something that belonged to her, like those psychics do?"

"It can't hurt…" Cisco shrugged. "Can you pass me her pen off her desk? You know that one that she doesn't let any of us use?" Barry retrieved the pen off the desk and handed it to Cisco, though, unfortunately, no visions came.

Astrid and Oliver were seated at the best table at Amarasia Oasis, while the staff were delighted to wait on them. "Have you got your speech ready for tomorrow's ceremony?" Oliver asked her.  
Astrid barely heard a word that he had said. Her mind was on her friends.  
"I'm sorry, what?" she asked him.  
"Astrid, is everything ok? You have barely said a word since I got into town." Oliver told her.  
She knew that she couldn't lie to him. She wiped away a tear that had emerged from her eye, careful not to make a mess of her eye makeup.

"I think I might need to cancel tomorrow's ceremony." She told him.  
"What? Why? Is everything ok? What is going on?" Oliver held her hands over the table and she bit at her bottom lip.

"Astrid… I have been looking for you everywhere…" A familiar voice sounded over the numerous voices of the restaurant's patrons. Oliver and Astrid both looked up to see Caitlin walking over to them. She was still as pale as a ghost. Astrid gasped. Both she and Oliver stood up.

Oliver who was confused by Astrid's response stood in between the two girls defensively.  
"Well if it isn't her protector… Sterling City's vigilante." Caitlin hissed at Oliver Queen.  
"Caitlin, I think you are mistaken…" he told her in a whisper. They were fortunate that the other patrons had not heard what she had called him.

Astrid slipped her bracelet off her wrist and placed it in her purse. An overwhelming wave of thoughts from the restaurant's patrons swept into her mind. But she was able to sift them through them all and hear Caitlin's thoughts, distinctly.

Her powers had tainted them. There was a whirlwind of emotions, but unlike what had happened to Robert Sutherland, her friend was not possessed. This was Caitlin's new self and it was as if she were a mere child, only looking to have fun in the world around her.

Caitlin continued to stare at Oliver with pure mocking hatred. "I suggest you let me speak with my friend, Arrow or there will a large price to pay." She threatened him.

Oliver looked over at Astrid. He knew that she could defend herself but he would continue to stand by in case she needed him. He stood beside her and placed his hands in his pocket, subtly as he sent an emergency alert to Barry.

"Astrid, you're not wearing your bracelet," Caitlin told her friend. "With your telepathic abilities, you and I could get out of here and have some fun… What do you say?"

"Caitlin, you hurt Cisco! Ronnie and Dr Stein are both fighting for their lives, and you want us to go out and have some fun? What is wrong with you?" Astrid demanded an answer softly to not cause a scene.

Caitlin noticed her friend's desire to not cause a scene and decided to use that to her advantage. "There is nothing wrong with me! I am feeling better than ever. I assure you. But if you won't join me, because you are my friend. That is your last mistake, Astrid Sutherland." Caitlin turned on her heels and stormed out of the restaurant. Fortunately, she did not cause any destruction this time round.

Astrid probed her mind again, before she was entirely out of reach. Her friend was still in there. There was a brief glimmer of the Caitlin she knew, regretting all the destruction that she was doing. There was still hope.

Caitlin left the restaurant and headed out into the street. A tear trickled down her cheek. What was she doing? Had she really hurt Cisco? Who was this girl that she was becoming and why couldn't she control herself? The love of her life was in a coma and what was she doing? Playing the villain. She hated herself at that moment.

She looked around her. She was standing in the busy street at nighttime, dressed in black leather. She blinked for a brief moment and when her eyes opened again she was no longer standing in the same place. She was tied up to a chair, somewhere else.

Had Barry found her and brought her back to Sutherland Labs? No. She was in an abandoned warehouse with very dim lighting. In the shadows she saw the silhouette of someone, who looked strangely familiar.

"Dr Caitlin Snow." The man said as he walked towards her. He was now standing inches away from her. At that moment she knew why he seemed familiar. "Detective Eddie Thawne!" she gasped.


	5. Chapter 5

"I swear you guys..." Astrid exclaimed once she and Oliver were at Sutherland Labs with Cisco and Barry. "…It was as if Caitlin needed me to go with her. I think she is afraid that she can't control herself. I know that she is still in there. We have to help her."

"It was the same thing when I encountered her too." Barry added, "She doesn't want to be alone. She needs us and we're not going to turn our backs on her. No matter what she does."

"Well, you're going to have to come up with a plan to draw her out and capture her. If Astrid's bracelet can dampen her powers, maybe you could make something up for Caitlin, that does the same thing." Oliver told them. "If she wants you guys to join her, maybe she will turn up at tomorrow's ceremony."

"Either she will come in peace or she will make a scene in the middle of the grand re-opening," Astrid said, concerned.  
"Regardless, we will be waiting for her." Barry told her, "But don't worry. She won't hurt anyone, while I am there."

"Neither one of us will allow that to happen, Astrid." Oliver confirmed, "You should get an early night. Don't worry about Caitlin, we will get her back. I can give you a ride home." Astrid agreed and so Oliver started to lead her out of the room.

"Astrid," Cisco called out, "Maybe you could say something in your speech tomorrow that will convince Caitlin to come back home."  
/"I'm going to try. I'll see you guys in the morning." She said as she left.

"I'll get to work on this thing for Caitlin," Cisco told Barry, glumly.  
"Don't worry Cisco. We will get her back." Barry replied.

Monday morning brought in a beautiful bout of sunshine, and as the decorators set up for the ceremony, Barry and Oliver watched through the crowds of people for any sign of Caitlin.

"Cisco, any sign of her?" Oliver asked, through his earpiece.  
"No, not yet." Cisco leant on the front of a large refrigeration truck. He had borrowed it from a relative to conceal his equipment. He scanned the area, still no Caitlin.

He pulled a silver necklace out of his pocket with a snowflake at the center. It was made from the same materials that he had used for Astrid's bracelet, as well as the handcuffs for CCPD's meta-human criminals. "We will get you back, Caitlin." Cisco said under his breath. He placed the necklace back into his pocket and continued to keep an eye out.

An hour later, the outside gardens of Sutherland Labs had been set up and the crowds began to arrive. On the stage, Central City's mayor gave a speech, as he stood in front of the facility's new sign, which was cloaked in a thick brown curtain.

Oliver stood beside Astrid, out of view near the stage, waiting for her name to be called.  
"Still no sign of her, yet." They heard Barry report.  
"Thanks Barry. No sign of her here either." Oliver replied. He then smiled at Astrid, "are you ready to go up there?"

Astrid smiled, "I hate public speaking. I just hope it will bring her back to us." She told him.  
"Astrid, I have faith that you will bring Caitlin back to us…" Cisco told her through his earpiece, "You were born to command a crowd, so don't doubt yourself."  
Oliver, who had overheard him smiled. "His words, exactly." He said.

Astrid heard the mayor say her name, and so Oliver escorted her on to the stage and sat on the seats provided behind her, along with some other members of the council.

As her microphone was readied, Astrid glanced at the prepared notes before her. She shook her head slightly and scanned the crowd for any sign of Caitlin. She was not going to read from the notes. She needed to improvise.

As the roaring crowd died down, Astrid began. "Good morning Central City. I want to thank you all for coming out here today. I know that many of you remember when my father stood here before you all, when I was a young child. When he first welcomed you to the opening of Sutherland Labs...Well unfortunately, my father is no longer with us today. But fear not! His legacy has lived on…"

Cisco smiled up at Astrid as she continued to give her speech, until he realized that him doing so was distracting him from what he was supposed to be doing. Searching for Caitlin.  
In his position he could see the backs of the crowds. He saw the back of a girl that he thought was her, but when he caught a second glimpse, he found that it wasn't.

He could hear Astrid continuing with her speech, the sentence "… After the death of both my mother and my father, Sutherland Labs has become my home… and its employees have become my family…"

Cisco saw another girl who resembled Caitlin. He was certain that it was her. "Barry, there is a girl entering the crowd…" he said.

"…I see her." Barry confirmed, as he sped through the crowds of people, wearing his red suit, to collect the girl, and bring her to a secluded area.

Caitlin screamed, as if she did not recognize Barry. "leave me alone!" she shouted at him.  
Barry was baffled by the girl's behavior so he let her go. She ran away and stumbled, dropping an item as she tripped. She got back up and left the item on the floor. She looked back at Barry, for him to realize that her face had changed entirely. It wasn't Caitlin. She ran back to safety, disappearing in the crowd.

Barry retrieved the item and explained what had happened through his earpiece to his friends. He needed to disappear before he was framed for abducting the girl. He knew that he would need to explain himself to Joe, much later on.

Astrid was coming to the end of her speech and Caitlin had still not been found. "…Before my father died he wrote in his will that he wanted me to make Sutherland Labs my own… He even suggested that I change its name. When those culprits attacked our home and set aflame four of our floors, I took it as a sign. Our family at Sutherland Labs needs to start a new. So therefore I have removed my last name from its titled and named it after everything that we stand for. Science, Technology and Research! This is our passion and our life long work! Let me introduce to you all…" She stepped close to the curtain, and as she pulled on the rope to remove the curtain, she finished her sentence… "STAR Labs!"

The crowds cheered at the stone lettering. It was an elegant sight that even marveled Astrid. But then another thought crossed her mind. The thought that was confirmed by Barry. "Caitlin isn't here. That gadget that the girl dropped somehow gave her Caitlin's face. Someone has played a trick on us, and I think it was someone other than Caitlin."

"But that just doesn't make sense," Cisco replied, "there is no way that Caitlin would steer clear of this celebration. Someone must have her against her will."

Astrid was busy making comments to the reporters, with Oliver Queen at her side. They had both heard Barry and Cisco's conversation. "Thank you for coming out," Oliver told the reporters. "Astrid, some of our shareholders would like to speak with you." He told her, to help excuse her from the public's eye.

"Thank you Ollie. I didn't know how I was going to escape those journalists." Astrid told him. They made their way towards Barry and Cisco who were speaking with Joe and Eddie. Barry was now dressed in his regular attire.

"Joe, Eddie." Astrid greeted the two detectives.  
Joe gave her a hug. "You did an amazing job, kiddo. Your parents would be proud." He told her.  
From over Joe's shoulder, she saw Iris approaching.

Iris embraced Eddie, but ignored Barry entirely. It was clear that they were not speaking. "Astrid, do you mind if I get the latest scoop from you?" Iris asked, holding her phone out to record Astrid's answers.

Barry nodded at Astrid from behind Iris. This was clearly his idea. "Sure, Iris. I can give you the full scoop. I will even give you more details, than I have given all the other reporters about today."

"Oh, no. I don't mean about today's unveiling." She handed Astrid a recent photo of her in a serious conversation with the Flash. "I want to know, who the streak is. And rumor has it… that you not only know who he is, but work with him closely."  
None of them were expecting that.

"Iris." Astrid began, "I don't know what you are talking about. I do not know who he is." She looked down at the picture that Iris held in her hands. "This picture doesn't explain anything. The man in that suit was all dressed up for some geek convention thing. He told me that he was a fan of my father… that's all." Astrid glanced over at Barry, for he too was in this picture. Fortunately, he was unrecognizable.

"Iris..." Eddie put his arm around her, "you really need to put this nonsense to rest. There is no streak."

"No, Eddie. This is important to me. How can you not see that?" Iris pleaded with him, brushing his arm from her shoulder. "You of anyone should understand that…"

Joe noticed the chemistry between his daughter and his young coworker. "Iris, what are you getting at? What is going on between the two of you?"

Iris and Eddie immediately realized their mistake. They had shown affection in front of him and given up the secret that they had been hiding from the detective.

Eddie tried to lie, but Iris knew that this was the moment to confess. "Dad, Eddie and I are together. You're not going to like it, but we are… Well, not for much longer if he can't support my career!" She shot at her boyfriend.

A mixture of shock and anger spread over Joe's face. "You're right, Iris! I don't like it! Eddie, I want you out of here! Is that clear?" Eddie nodded silently and left quickly.

"How could you be with him?" Joe questioned his daughter and gestured off to the direction that Eddie had left. He then remembered that the two of them were standing with Barry, Cisco, Astrid and Oliver.  
"Can you guys give us a moment, please?" he asked them.

"I will go and check on Eddie," Barry replied, following after the cop.  
"We should go and check on Ronnie and Dr Stein." Cisco said to Astrid and Oliver as they also took their leave.

"You can't keep me here!" Caitlin demanded of Eddie Thawne to release her. It seemed that the bindings that held her in place were made from the same materials of that handcuffs that Cisco had made for the meta-human criminals. She couldn't use her powers. But that had not changed the person that she was becoming.

Killer Frost was colder than ever. The temptation she was feeling to hurt that detective, was wilder than ever. She had never thought of Eddie Thawn as a speedster like Barry. But that was what she had witnessed him do. She was quite sure that he had brought her here within the blink of an eye. But he had hidden it for so long. She needed to know for sure.

"I must apologize for your bindings, Miss Snow. The last thing I needed was for you to attend your friend's ceremony today and make a mess of everything that I have been planning."

"Why would I make a mess of your plans? What would I have to gain by doing so?" Caitlin sneered.  
Eddie averted her stare. "Let's say that that is on a need-to-know basis. But let me tell you, if you had gone today, your friends would have found you and they would have brought back their good friend Caitlin Snow. For what I have planned, I don't need you to be Caitlin. I need you to be the Killer that you are… I need you to be Killer Frost."

"What do you mean, the Killer? I have never killed anyone!" Caitlin shot at him.  
"Not yet my dear. But you will!" Eddie told her. "and we will be a team. We will be the team that you have been waiting for."

"Why would I want to work with you? What could you offer me?" Caitlin asked him.  
The man pulled out a small gadget from his pocket and showed it to her. "Do you know what this is, Caitlin?"

"No, what is it?" she asked, a little intrigued.  
"This small piece of equipment is from the future. It has the ability to make me look like anyone that I choose." He put the small object down on the bench and although he was still blonde, his face changed. "My name is Eobard Thawne, Miss Snow. I am from the future. I do not need to offer you anything, because the time will come when you will beg me to help you bring down Barry Allen. After everything he is going to do, you will wish that I killed him when I killed his mother."


	6. Chapter 6

Barry caught up to Eddie and the two of them walked over to Jitters for a coffee.  
"So I suppose the cats out of the bag, then." Eddie said glumly to Barry.  
"At least the two of you are no longer hiding your relationship." Barry replied, trying to be optimistic for Iris and Eddie.

"I know, but you heard her. We might not even have a relationship, once all this blows over. Joe will be angry at me, and Iris… well Iris is upset at me for not supporting this ridiculous obsession of hers." Eddie vented, as he took a sip of coffee.  
"Obsession?" Barry was confused. "I highly doubt she is obsessed with the Flash. She just wants to get what she believes is the truth out."  
"The Flash?" Eddie repeated, "Iris has been calling him the Streak. But yeah. It's almost like she is obsessed with this red vigilante. Ever since she claimed that he saved her life. If you ask me the man is a phony, just trying to take the credit away from us real police officers."

Barry refused to argue. The thought of Iris being, as Eddie said "obsessed" with Barry, made him feel a little proud. Even if Iris didn't know that he was the Flash, or in her words; the Streak, it didn't matter to him. Though Barry needed to put his own selfish feelings for Iris aside and be there for Eddie, his brother.

"Look, I know that Iris will forgive you and Joe… yeah you might have lost Joe as a friend, but who really gets along with their in-laws anyway?" Barry said, trying to lighten the mood.  
"Not helping, Barry. But thanks anyway. I suppose this is what it means to have a brother." Eddie replied.  
"I suppose so." Barry had to admit that it felt good.  
Eddie looked at his watch, "We should get back to the precinct. Come on! I will give you a ride. It might put Singh in a good mood seeing you arrive on time."

"Yeah," Barry said with sarcasm, "…and Joe will be waiting at those doors ready to embrace you as family."

Oliver and Astrid watched over Ronnie and Martin Stein, as they slept peacefully in their coma states. Astrid had managed to encourage Clarissa to go home for some rest. While Cisco had ventured back upstairs to retrieve the Firestorm splicer.

Once he had returned with the splicer in hand, he began delegating roles to the scientists on the floor. "I think Cisco might be on to something." Oliver told Astrid, noting the nerd's confidence.

"I hope so. We need something to go right for a change. I should have gone with her last night. I could of…" Astrid began.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up. You didn't know that this would happen…" He stopped speaking, as his phone rang from in his pocket. "Felicity, What's wrong?"

Oliver's face fell as she answered. "Ok. Thank you for letting me know… I will."

He ended the call and stared directly at Astrid. "It's Thea. She's been hurt." He told her.  
"Go, Oliver. She needs you." She told him.

He gave her a kiss and left, but not before saying "You guys will get Caitlin back. You're a team, a family. It will turn out." Astrid smiled, she only wished that she had as much faith that Caitlin was ok, that Oliver seem to have. But she needed to keep her chin up. Now was not the time to crumble.

She looked over at Cisco commanding the room. Oliver was right. He was certainly on to something. He was babbling in his own nerdy language that the team of doctors understood.

As Astrid was distracted watching him at work, she was alarmed by the sirens at the bedsides that had begun sounding. "We're losing them both!" One of the doctors shouted as the entire team, excluding Cisco, ran over to begin CPR on them both. Astrid felt a rush of panic sweep over her as she imagined herself explaining this to Caitlin. She was frozen in place watching what was happening.

Cisco who was still over at the far table, working on the splicer closed it up and raced over to the beds.

He brought the splicer over to Ronnie. "Right we need these beds closer together!" he told one of the doctors. They pushed the beds together, with the scientists still administering CPR, so that Ronnie and Martin were close enough, that the backs of their hands were touching.

"Out of the way!" Cisco demanded of the team, as he fixed the splicer to Ronnie's chest. Straps emerged from the disk, fixing the splicer in place. The scientists evacuated the area.

"Whoa, Cisco! Are you sure about this? You told me that the risks…" Astrid began.  
Cisco pulled her out of the way and they watched as a blaze of fire erupted from the unconscious men. The blaze was so bright that they all backed away to the far end of the room and shielded their eyes. Though the blaze only lasted for a brief moment.

"Mr Ramone!" they heard Ronnie's voice speak, making them all look up. "I knew that I could count on you." It was Martin speaking through Ronnie again.

The splicer had worked. Everybody walked towards the being that was Firestorm, in the body of Ronnie. He was standing in front of the bed with flames coming from his head and hands. They watched as Ronnie put his hand over his chest and removed the splicer, causing he and Martin to separate without any complications.

Cisco smiled from ear to ear and high fived everyone in the room. "Boo yah! And that's how it's done!" he cried out.

Ronnie glanced around the room. He was looking for Caitlin, but he was disappointed to see that she was absent. He pulled Astrid aside and questioned her about Caitlin's whereabouts.

She didn't know where to begin.  
"Astrid, is she ok? Where is she?" Ronnie demanded. Martin and Cisco had left the crowd of scientists and joined their conversation.

"I think we should all go upstairs," Astrid suggested. "There is something that we need to talk about, and it involves Caitlin."

By lunch time, Barry joined Joe, Eddie and Captain Singh at the bar that Caitlin had visited the night before. Fortunately, none of the patrons had been severely injured, but Barry had been called on for a consult in relation to the DNA samples that were found on a glass that the young woman had used.

The officers found it difficult believing the statements from the men, that a young woman had taken them all down with a flick of her wrists. Though Joe and Barry knew otherwise.

"It sounds like another one of these meta-humans." Singh told them. "They are really starting to get on my nerves! Barry, I want you to collect as much DNA as you can find. We will find the person responsible."

Barry took the DNA samples. But instead of going back to CCPD, he headed to STAR Labs to find Astrid, Cisco, Ronnie and Martin discussing Caitlin's disappearance. He analyzed the saliva in the glass, and sure enough, it was Caitlin's DNA.

"The police are on to Caitlin." He told his friends. "I was asked to retrieve her DNA from the biker bar that she went to last night. Captain Singh is determined to find her."

"We can't let her get locked away." Ronnie declared. "Can't we just blame it on another meta-human… one that is actually a criminal?"

"There is no way we will find someone that will fit the description in this short of time. The only villain that I can think of that is remotely similar is Captain Cold, but he is long gone. " Astrid replied.

"Am I the only one who sees the irony in the villains we have been encountering lately?" Cisco asked, "Captain Cold? Killer Frost? They're cold hearted criminals. They should join a club and call it…"

"Cisco, that is our Caitlin that you are talking about." Astrid cut him off. "She is not a villain. She just needs our help. We're just going to have to find her before CCPD do. Thankfully, we have the fastest man alive on our side."

"It doesn't change the fact that Caitlin's DNA was found at the scene." Barry reminded them. "I suppose I can tell Singh that the results came back inconclusive."

"Sounds good. In the meantime, we are going to have to hit the streets looking for her. Caitlin can't have just disappeared," Astrid said to Cisco.

"Miss Sutherland. Would it help if Ronald and I assist with the search? I'm certainly not going to stand by and do nothing." Martin Stein asked her.

Astrid was not a doctor, but the thought of Martin and Ronnie leaving STAR Labs only an hour after waking from their coma, made her feel slightly uncomfortable.  
"Are you sure that the two of you are…" she began.  
"Miss Sutherland. I assure you, I have never been better." Martin replied. Ronald agree.

"Ok, you guys can help… and Martin? Please stop calling me Miss Sutherland."


	7. Chapter 7

Caitlin looked around at her surroundings. Eobard Thawne or whatever his name was had left a while back. She had been struggling to wriggle her wrists free for a while now and she knew that she almost had it. If she could just wriggle them a little more… and she did it! Her wrists were free from behind her. She unbound her legs in a few seconds and stood up.

She was in a storage shed. She crept towards the door. Fortunately, the fool had left it unlocked. The sun shone in on her eyes. She could make her escape. She decided to use the alleyways. Close by she heard a gang of thugs stirring. So she continued to walk in to the alley until she saw who was making the noise. There were three thugs.

"Shh… Someone's coming." One of them said. One of the young men had seen her.  
Caitlin smiled to herself. She was aching to have a little fun.  
"How are you doing, princess?" the one who had spoken called out to her, he pulled out a knife and he and his two associates began zeroing in on Caitlin.  
"Do you really think you're a match for me?" she asked them. Caitlin raised her hands slowly and began toying with the ice particles that had formed in her hands.

"The pretty girl knows a few party tricks." One of the other men said, "come on, blondie. Let's have some fun." He pulled out a small pistol.

All three of the men ran and closed in on her, coming from three different directions. She shot an ice projectile at the one in the middle. It wounded him severely. She created an ice wall to protect herself from the man with the gun as he aimed and shot at her from her right side. The bullet was lodged into the thick ice. Then she shot an ice projectile knocking him to the ground. She had forgotten about the third man, who came from behind her.

He was much taller and stronger than she was. He held both her hands from behind her with just one of his hands and held a knife to her throat. Close by she heard someone else approaching and slowly clapping their hands. She looked up and was surprised when she saw who it was.

The familiar man had long dark hair down to his shoulders and a slight stubbly appearance. His clothing style was also very different. But she was absolutely certain that it was him.  
"Cisco Ramon…" she said, "Does Astrid know that you go around with thugs in your spare time? This is an entirely new side of you."

The newcomer looked at her with an expression of pure confusion. "How do you know that name?" he asked her.  
This time it was Caitlin that was confused. She didn't answer, but she tried to struggle free. The man who had hold of her was so strong that she felt he must have had super strength. Her arms were starting to hurt.

Cisco clicked his fingers and the man who had a hold of her, dug the knife deeper into her skin.  
"I asked you a question, Frosty. How do you that name? I haven't gone by that name in a very long time." he asked her again, all the more serious.

Whatever was going on, had Caitlin baffled. None the less, she needed to get out of here. Despite the pain in her arms, she formed a large blast of ice from her fists. It shot upwards, from behind her and knocked the man backwards. She was free. She shot an ice blast at Cisco, knocking him backwards and began to run away in the other direction.

She thought that she had escaped, until a large translucent blur appeared before her. Cisco reappeared from inside and landed on the ground a few feet in front of her. He shot a projectile at her. It seemed to be made from the same type of energy as the blur. It knocked her backwards and she fell to the ground.

Caitlin looked at him baffled as he inched closer to her. She blasted an ice projectile back at him, it knocked him backwards, but he regained his balance, again. Caitlin tried to get up, though the minute she did, she was suddenly transported right back to the seat in the storage shed and tied up again. Eobard had returned.

"You did just as I knew you would." He said, but he did not seem angry in the slightest. In fact, he seemed rather amused by her actions. "You're amused… Why?" she questioned him.

Eobard laughed, "Because it doesn't matter where you go. You're no longer in the same world as you once were. That man out there, his name was Cisco Ramon. But he is not the Cisco you would know. Your friend Astrid… Never existed. Barry Allen… He isn't The Flash in this world either. Let's say, I wanted you to see it for yourself."

"So I believe you. So, what now?" Caitlin asked him.  
"Now, we get started with phase 2. Let's bring out the Killer in Killer Frost and rid the world of Barry's faithful friend Caitlin Snow." He replied.

A smile formed across Caitlin's face. "Let's go have some fun!" she agreed.

While Barry was at work, Astrid and Cisco took the STAR labs van patrolling around Central City scouring for any sign of their friend Caitlin. Cisco drove, whilst Astrid kept in communication with Firestorm.

"Don't worry, Astrid. We will find her." Cisco told her as she put her phone back in her purse.  
Astrid didn't answer him. Instead, she placed her elbow on the window and rested the side of her head on her hand. She was beginning to give up hope.

She had removed her bracelet before they had left, to scan for Caitlin's thoughts, but she hadn't received anything. Something just didn't feel right.

"I never saw Oliver leave." Cisco tried again, to bring up conversation. He was trying his best to keep her at ease.  
"Thea was hurt. He needed to see to her, so he left while you were fixing the splicer." Astrid replied. Her head was beginning to hurt. "Last night Caitlin went to a biker bar, the one on Northpoint, right?" she wondered.

"Yeah, it was on Northpoint. Why?" Cisco asked her.

"Last night, she also came to Amaraasia Oasis, interrupting my dinner with Ollie, which is also on Northpoint. She told me that she wanted to have some fun. I think she is having doubts about her wedding and that is why she is letting her powers control her. Maybe she is out having fun. We should checkout some of the bars," Astrid decided.

"It's only 3 in the afternoon. I don't think there will be too much going on at the moment." He replied.  
"It's worth a shot. Maybe we should start on Northpoint. I know the police are still doing their investigations, but we can still try." She managed to persuade him to drive to the bar on Northpoint.

As the two climbed out of the van, Cisco received a vision.

He saw Eddie watching Caitlin leaving Amarasia Oasis, from across the street. He saw Eddie grab her and run. But what surprised him is that Eddie had the same power as Barry. He was a speedster. Eddie and Caitlin disappeared into an orb of light, not to be seen again.

"Cisco… Cisco!" Astrid put her hand on her friend's shoulder. His expression was blank. After a moment, he finally looked at her, but his face was still emotionless.

"Are you ok?" she asked him, "Your mind went somewhere else, for a moment."  
"Astrid," he began with a tone that mirrored his face, "Eddie took Caitlin somewhere… Somewhere that we can't find her."

"Don't be silly, Cisco. This isn't the time for jokes." She scolded.  
He shook his head softly and continued with the same tone, "Astrid, Eddie is a speedster. He took Caitlin into an orb of light. I saw it."


	8. Chapter 8

Astrid, Cisco, Martin and Ronnie met Barry back at STAR labs.  
"Cisco, you need to explain this vision to me one more time." Astrid told him calmly. "I think that you might be experiencing some sort of mental breakdown in relation to Caitlin's disappearance."  
"Astrid, No, I'm not!" Cisco told her, quite hurt by the notion. "I have been receiving these visions since the meteor shower, but I just didn't know what to make of them until now. Last night I saw her too and I told Barry about it."

Barry agreed with him, "that's true. But you're saying that Eddie is responsible for Caitlin's disappearance. You're also saying that Eddie has the same power as me. I'm pretty certain that if he did, we would know by now. He and I have been really bonding lately. Cisco, he is…"

"Yeah! He is your brother. I get that! The entire notion that Eddie has been watching Caitlin, that he is a speedster and took her into some orb of light to not be found again is ridiculous… but I assure you, I saw it! No, more than that. It's as if I was right there." Cisco explained to his friends.

Martin who had remained quiet this entire time had been sifting through all the information given and it dawned on him. "Is it at all possible that the reason we cannot find Caitlin is because she is no longer on our Earth. Cisco, can you tell me more about this orb of light that you saw?" he asked.

"I think that Eddie might have generated that much energy that he created this orb while running… It was made of pure energy." Cisco explained.

A smile spread across Dr Stein's face. He ran over to Caitlin's whiteboard and erased everything that had been on there previously. He took a marker and began rambling and scribbling away, leaving the group baffled.

"Years ago, I wrote a thesis, the subject being on the multiverse and the possibility of alternate worlds. Science has never been able to prove or even disprove the notion that there could be another you and another me, living an entirely separate life from the one we live here. This theory would allow for not just one separate world, but an infinite amount and in some cases even the merging of some of these worlds entirely. But maybe it is as you say, Cisco, that the energy caused by the velocity of this speedster has generated some sort of portal, if you will, to enter one of these alternate worlds… Where we will find our dear Caitlin." Martin finished speaking as he finished scribbling.

Astrid, Ronnie and Barry were baffled, though the only one who knew what he was talking about was Cisco.

Barry spoke up, "So, what you are saying, is that Caitlin is not even in our own dimension…"

"That is entirely what I am saying, Barry… Which has me thinking if you can run at a speed that is just as fast as Eddie. Maybe you can do the same thing and run at the exact velocity that will generate a portal leading to our beloved Miss Snow." Dr Stein replied.

"I'm sorry… what?" Astrid asked trying to make sense of everything that was being said, though she didn't give anyone the time to respond. "But if what you say is correct, how would we know what alternate world she is in? You said yourself that there could be an infinite amount, what if we stumbled on an entirely different one… It could be worse… what if we could never make it back to our own world. The risks of such a task are just so high."

"That my dear, Astrid…" Martin replied, "… is where we must confront Detective Eddie Thawne and get the truth out of him."

"But what if Eddie didn't do it?" Barry asked, "Not only are we risking blaming someone who could be entirely innocent, but we are also risking him finding out my secret."

"I agree with Barry." Astrid told them, "I want Caitlin back as much as anyone. But we can't blame an innocent man. Remember he is a police officer as well as Barry's brother."

"Well, what then?" Cisco argued, "I know what I saw. We can't just let him get away with it. Please. We don't know where Caitlin is. We need to get her back!"

Barry finally gave in, "Ok. We will talk to Eddie. But we need to do it my way. I'll call Joe. We're going to need his help."

Barry called Joe and explained to him the vision that Cisco had received, "Barry, I might not like Eddie at the moment, but I don't think that he would kidnap Caitlin. Even if she is the prime suspect of our current investigation. Not to mention, he is dating Iris…. And he is your brother. Could you really believe that he would be capable of doing such a thing?" Joe asked.

"I know that it sounds ridiculous. But I believe Cisco. It's not the first time he has had one of these visions, and he isn't one to lie. Please, Joe. It's the only lead we have to find her." Barry pleaded.

"Ok, Bar. If you think this could help. Bring Astrid and Cisco over to the house. I'll arrange for Eddie to come round. And Barry? You owe me one!" Joe and Barry ended their call.

Barry, Cisco and Astrid headed over to Barry's house where they found Joe pacing anxiously in the living room. "Iris is working late tonight," he told them, "so let's clear this matter up for good. If the three of you are right, and Eddie has taken Caitlin, you will have my full support. But if he hasn't. I don't know what we are going to do."

"Joe. I promise you, I won't let things get out of hand." Astrid told him, she gave Cisco a look, warning him to keep a level head.

"Ok, Astrid. You're the psychologist. I'm going to trust that you know what you are doing." Joe replied.

Eddie arrived not long after and noticed Joe in an anxious state. "Hi, Joe. I'm glad we can finally talk things over about me and Iris." He walked through the door and saw that the two of them were not alone, but accompanied by Barry, Cisco and Astrid.

"Ok, I understand that Astrid is here as she is trained in mediation, but why are Barry and Cisco?" Eddie asked.

"Um, Eddie. This matter isn't regarding Iris," Joe told him, "would you mind sitting down for a moment?"  
Eddie sat down in the arm chair with the rest of the group, but Joe remained standing.  
"Eddie," Joe began, "Where were you last night? Just after the crime at the bar on Northpoint?"  
"I was with Iris? Why?" Eddie asked, baffled.  
"Where were you and Iris?" Cisco questioned him.

"Cisco!" Astrid whispered at him. She focused on Eddie's mind to pull a few images. She saw him at a café on Northpoint, with Iris.

"Joe, what is going on, here? I was at one of the café's near Amarasia Oasis. I didn't commit the crime at the bar. Barry, did you retrieve that DNA? I wasn't there." Eddie told them, anxiously.

"Eddie, this isn't about the crime that happened at the bar," Joe told him, "A young girl went missing after the time of the crime."

"… and what? You think that I took her? Joe? This is ridiculous! Call Iris. She and I were at the Café from 8, until 9 and then we…" Eddie was pleading his case.

"…Eddie, you're a speedster! You could have taken Caitlin and been back again within a heartbeat." Cisco shot at him.

"Cisco!" Astrid snapped loudly at her friend, "Eddie didn't do it! I know you're worried but he didn't!" She had managed to retrieve the right memories for Eddie's mind at the right time. Eddie was indeed innocent.

"Barry, how can you let your friend blame me for taking this girl!" Eddie had directed his anger towards Barry now. "Just because I told you about my parents… the ones who adopted me, you have put me into the same category as them."

"Eddie? Eddie!" Barry called out. Eddie left through the door and slammed it behind him.  
"I'll go after him." Barry said.

"If it is Eddie, he could be using his speed power right now…" Cisco called out after Barry.

"Well, that didn't go down well." Joe told them.  
"I'm sorry, Joe." Astrid apologized. "I'll take Cisco home. I don't think he is handling Caitlin's disappearance very well. I'm sorry for the trouble." Joe accepted her apology and walked them both to the door.


	9. Chapter 9

Astrid drove Cisco to his apartment and they both sat in silence. She believed that he had the vision and she believed that the visions that he had experienced in the past, had merit. But she could not believe that Eddie had abducted Caitlin, after having read Eddie's mind.

"You shouldn't have yelled at him like that." She told him, after a while, "Maybe Barry and I shouldn't have brought you with us to question him, in the first place. I think it was a mistake."

"I'm already beating myself up enough already. Can we just drop it?" he asked her.  
"I'm sorry Cisco. I'm worried about her too. I have been beating myself up at the fact that I should have gone with her, instead of staying at the restaurant. I could have at least stopped her from being kidnapped. I haven't told anyone this, but as she left, I read her mind. Caitlin was still in there. But she is struggling with this Killer Frost persona. I'm scared that my decision of not going with her was the worst thing that I could have done and just maybe… maybe it's my fault…"

Cisco ran a hand through her hair, "It's not your fault. Don't ever think that. The guy was a speedster. You have seen Barry in action, he could travel the world in the blink of an eye. This guy travelled faster than Barry ever could he even created a portal. You couldn't stop him from taking Caitlin."

"Ok, maybe I couldn't have stopped him from taking her. But I could have scanned the area. I could have read their mind and figured it out, before they…" Astrid was rambling and a tear formed and trickled down her cheek. Cisco wiped it from her cheek, and in one swift moment he kissed her, throwing her off guard.

She moved back and looked at him, puzzled. "Cisco, what are you doing? I'm with Oliver. You know that."

Cisco felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry. You were just upset and… I don't know. I was just trying to throw you off guard. You know, to make you laugh."

"Yep, not the way to do it Cisco. You know me better than that. I'll let it slide, for everything that we are going through, with Caitlin right now. But please, don't do it again." She told him.

Cisco felt his world crumble for a moment. But he wouldn't admit it to her. He wished that he could be someone else and not just her dorky bestfriend. Then a thought crossed his mind.

"What if the guy who took Caitlin had one of those gadgets that that girl had. You know the one we mistaken for Caitlin? I had a small look at it and it was like nothing that I have ever seen before. Maybe this guy pretended to be Eddie to take Caitlin. What if he was from this other world and he has been watching us, waiting for the perfect time to take her." Cisco was trying to figure it all out.

"But why would he want her? He would have to have some plan? We barely knew that Caitlin was having these issues with her powers until it was too late. What would they hope to gain?" Astrid asked him.

"I'm not sure. He must have known the precise time to strike. What if he is from the future?" Cisco asked, making Astrid laugh.

"There you go. Mood lightened. I think you have been watching too many movies, Cisco." Astrid told him. "But at least you made me laugh."

"No, I'm serious. Dr Stein told us about their being alternate worlds. What if this guy is from the future? If this speedster can travel into different dimensions, who's to say he can't time travel?" He replied.

"Cisco, if that is true… We have barely scratched the surface of Barry's powers. Imagine what that means. Think about the things that Barry could be capable of! We need to speak with him about this immediately." Astrid decided.

Barry followed Eddie to Jitters, where he met Iris. And just as he had expected, Eddie travelled as any regular person would, by car and not super speed.

The minute Eddie saw Iris, he kissed her. Which as it always did, made Barry die a little inside. Nonetheless, he mustered up the courage to follow Eddie inside and to apologize.

"Eddie, I came here to apologize on Cisco's behalf. The girl that has gone missing is a good friend of ours and there was a person who told us that they witnessed someone who looked like you taking her." Barry told him, pleading for forgiveness.

"Barry, what is going on?" Iris asked, looking from him to Eddie.  
"Barry, his friends and your father called me to your house to interrogate me over a crime that I didn't commit." Eddie told her.  
"Barry!" Iris raised her voice at him. "What is going on? What crime?"

Barry explained everything to Iris, which as he had expected, lead to both Iris and Eddie being angry at him. "Barry, how could you do that?" They both asked him.  
"Barry, all your life you have wanted a brother, and now that you have one, he is the first person you suspect of doing something horribly wrong!" Iris snapped at him, "Just leave us alone." She finished.

Barry left Jitters, collected his red suit from STAR Labs and sped through the city looking for crimes to stop. Tonight was an unusually quiet night, until he came towards a clearing in the park. There was a girl lying in the middle of the grass. She was unconscious and he recognized her instantly.

"Oh my god, Caitlin!" Her hair was still white and her skin was still pale. He knelt down beside her and from in his pocket, he felt his phone ringing. He answered it to find that it was Cisco to tell him to meet he an Astrid at STAR Labs.

"Cisco, can the two of you meet me at Westside Park, instead? I've found Caitlin. Bring the necklace!" as Barry ended the call. He brushed a lock of her hair from her face. But as he did so, she grabbed at his hand, letting it grow cold and turn to ice. Killer Frost had awoken.


	10. Chapter 10

Astrid and Cisco arrived to Westside Park, in a hurry. Along the way, they called Ronnie and Dr Stein for emergency backup. They were glad that they had done so, for when they had arrived at the park, they found Barry frozen stiff sitting on the grass.

"He's phasing." Astrid told the others as she came to check on him. "He is trying to warm himself up! Look for Caitlin!" she ordered them.

She stood up and scanned the area around her for her friend's thoughts. But then someone took a hold of both her arms, from behind her. Her assailant's hands were ice cold, and Astrid's arms immediately became frozen in place. "Caitlin, you don't need to do all this." She told her, as she grimaced in pain.

"I've already told you. Call me Killer Frost." She told her, "Caitlin is not here."  
"Ok, Killer Frost. You can stop all of this. It's not too late." She tried to reason with her. Astrid tried to read the girl's mind, but it seemed almost impossible. This girl had become unpredictable with her thoughts. Astrid could feel the crippling sensation of the ice freezing her entire body.

"Leave her alone, Caitlin!" came Ronnie's voice. Killer Frost threw Astrid to the floor beside Barry and turned to face Firestorm who was standing before her. A smirk crossed over her face.

"Why Ronnie. I thought you were dead. In fact, I even hoped that it was true! But that's ok. I'm ready to have a little fun. What do you say? How 'bout a battle of fire and ice!" She shot a long crippling blast of ice in Firestorm's direction.

"Caitlin. This isn't you. I don't want to fight you!" Firestorm told her as he flew upwards and out of the way of the ice blast.

Cisco ran to Astrid and Barry to assess their damages. Barry was still regenerating quickly, but was not yet ready to fight. Astrid's entire body had been frozen stiff. Her condition was much worse than Barry's. "Barry, come on! We have to get Astrid to safety…" Cisco pleaded for him to heal quicker.

"Ronnie. Come on. Give me all you've got! We're just getting warmed up!" Killer Frost shouted as she threw another ice blast in his direction. Firestorm diverted another attack and this time threw a blast of fire, burning through the air and hitting her.

She seemed excited by the contact and shot out another long blast of ice in his direction. He shot another blast of flame towards her, but it met her ice blast instead, melting it in the middle of their battle. They continued to match blast for blast. It was clear that they were equally matched.

Barry managed to fully heal himself. Cisco handed him the necklace that he had made for Caitlin. Then as Cisco continued to sit by and monitor Astrid's vitals, Barry ran towards Killer Frost who was distracted by Firestorm. He stood behind her and fastened the necklace around her neck.

The instant that her powers had ceased, he pulled her out of the way of the flame blast and laid her safely on the floor. They had done it! Caitlin was coming back again. Her skin and her hair both faded back to their original coloring. She closed her eyes exhausted, in Barry's arms.

"Astrid isn't doing so well, Barry. We need to get her to safety, and fast!" Cisco told him.  
"Ok, we can leave. Let's get them both back to STAR Labs." He replied.

As a team of STAR Labs doctors worked on Astrid. Barry, Cisco, Martin and Ronnie watched on. They had told the doctors that she had experienced an encounter with an unknown meta-human, to not arouse suspicion. When Caitlin finally awoke from her bed she called them over.

Guilt and regret swam over her face. "Oh my God! I hurt Astrid!" She gasped, when she realized what she had done. "Is she ok?"  
She read by their faces that the current diagnosis was not good and clambered out of the bed barking orders to help her friend, until finally, Astrid's condition became stable.

Cisco pulled Barry aside to speak in private. "I want to apologize for blaming Eddie. I really shouldn't have, but losing Caitlin. She and Astrid are my best friends…They always have been, and now I also have you! It's great to have someone who is more of a brother to me than my own blood. I'm really sorry for putting you in that predicament with Eddie."

"Don't mention it!" Barry replied, "I'm not sure how long it will take for Eddie or Iris to talk to me again, but I understand."

Cisco nodded, but then changed the subject, "I kissed Astrid and she rejected me. She even asked me why, but I couldn't be honest with her. I love her, Barry. But I'll never be with her. She loves Oliver too much."  
"Trust me. I know what that's like all too well." Barry replied, "Every time I see Iris and Eddie, I feel… I don't know. It's just unbearable." They both glanced over at Caitlin who was sitting at Astrid's bedside.  
Barry considered the sentence that Astrid had said in her speech, "they were a family" Those words could not be more true.

When Astrid finally awoke to Caitlin fussing over her, she was a little startled. She sat upright and was hesitant. "Caitlin. Is that you… or Killer Frost?" she questioned, cautiously.

Caitlin hugged her friend tightly. "It's me! Oh my God, Astrid. I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!" Tears fell from her eyes. Astrid hugged her friend tightly, she was just relieved to have her friend back safely. Cisco and Barry joined them, happy that Astrid was finally awake.

Caitlin noticed Ronnie on the other side of the room, speaking with Martin and remembered that she hadn't spoken with him since she had awoken. She could remember leaving when he was in a coma and she could remember their battle. She loved him more than anything. She needed to apologize.

She walked towards him and asked Dr Stein if she and Ronnie could talk in peace. Once they were alone, she apologized.

"Caitlin," Ronnie began. "I love you. You don't need to apologize. I just want to know if you still want to get married."

"Of course I do, Ronnie. I love you." She told him.

"Good." He told her, relieved to hear her say it. "Then it's all settled." Caitlin felt the better than she had in a while.

After everyone had gone home, Caitlin chose to stay behind and work in her med bay.

It was a relief to stay back and work after everything she had encountered as of late. She could remember that other world all too well, even though she had told her friends that she couldn't recall a thing. She didn't want to burden them with what she had seen. Time in that world seem to speed up, compared to the time in this one. She had felt like she had been there for a month, when in fact, she had only been missing for a couple of days.

She felt the breeze across her face and watched as a couple pages fell off the desk. "What did you forget Barry?" She asked, expecting to see him standing there.

But instead, she saw Eobard. He grabbed her by the throat and held her off the floor, gasping for breath. "Remember our deal Frosty." He told her, "… and if you even try betraying me, you know exactly what will happen…"

Eobard threw her to the floor, gasping for breath, and he disappeared again, before she could call for help.


End file.
